so this is my final impression with the DPx Gear HEST Production Folder.

first off i would like to say the customer service at DPx Gear is awesome. it has been very pleasant working everything out with Linda over at DPx.

i received my HEST/F today after sending it in for warranty repairs. it is now two days short of a month after DPx gear received in on March 16th. i think this is to long of a turn over but i understand the knife had to go back to Italy. honestly i would not care if the knife would have come back perfect, however this is not the case.

im gonna have to say im very disappointed in this knife. the original reasons for me sending the knife back were: blade play, off centered blade, and loose roto-lock. the blade play was taken care of. this thing locks up solid. no blade play whatsoever. the roto-lock is nice and tight and does not engage on its own.

the blade is still slightly off centered. maybe im just too picky? i dont know why but i cant carry a folder unless the blade is perfectly centered. i mean if my $25 Spyderco Persistence has a perfectly centered blade am i asking to much from a $180 knife? which actually cost me more since i paid for priority shipping with insurance back to DPx for the repairs.

i dont even know if i got the same knife back cause there are new marks on it that i know were not there when i shipped it off to DPx. theres a nick at the base of the blade near the handle where there is some coating missing. i mean usually when the costing on a blade is not perfect it is considered a factory second by most if not all knife companies. the pivot screw also looks like it was messed around with pretty rough. looks like some just jammed a screw driver in there and tore it up.

anyways, im done with the knife. i politely explained the problems and asked for a full refund. i will not be buying any product from DPx anytime soon and kinda regret buying the knife when i had canceled my original pre-order.

nick at the base of the blade near the handle where coating is missing:





torn up pivot screw:





off centered blade…AGAIN!